Nativity’s Social Justice Committee shares the following announcements, events and recommended resources to the Nativity community as we continue our pursuit of racial justice and reconciliation.
Lists of Events
Below are links to information about the many events honoring Black History Month that are happening in the Triangle.
- 60+ Black History Month events in the Triangle 2023
- Black History Month guide: Exhibits, tours and events around the Triangle
- 2023 Black History Month Event Guide
Featured Events
Best of Enemies
BEST OF ENEMIES, A Justice Theater Project Production
Umstead Park UCC, 8208 Brownleigh Drive, Raleigh, NC 27617
Cost/Ticket Information: $23 Adults. $20 Senior 60+, $20 Military, $18 Groups 10+, $5 Students and Educators. Tickets can be purchased online. (Note: Ages14 and up for adult language and content.)
When: Various weekend dates in February. If interested, purchase tickets soon as tickets are selling fast and some dates are already sold out.
Description: THE BEST OF ENEMIES by Osha Gray Davidson is a true story of the unlikely relationship between two low-income community activists, Ann Atwater, an outspoken civil rights activist, and C.P. Ellis, a local Ku Klux Klan leader. The story takes place in Durham, North Carolina, during the turbulent 1960s and 70’s when the Civil Rights Movement was at its peak. After having several public racially-charged confrontations and developing an intense disdain for each other, in the racially charged summer of 1971, Atwater and Ellis came together to co-chair a community summit on the desegregation of public schools in Durham, N.C. The ensuing debate and battle soon lead to surprising revelations forever changing both of their lives. In Durham and throughout the United States, Ellis and Atwater exemplify how blacks and whites can overcome centuries of racial barriers by focusing on their commonalities and humanity. Through this process, they gradually learn to see this in each other and develop an understanding of the class structure in the South that oppresses both of them as they move from THE BEST OF ENEMIES to friends.
We Build This
We Built This: Profiles of Black Architects and Builders in North Carolina
Where: Oak View County Park (Farm History Center), 4028 Carya Dr., Raleigh, NC 27610
Cost: Free, no registration required.
What: This traveling exhibit, presented by Preservation North Carolina, highlights the stories of those who constructed and designed many of North Carolina’s most treasured historic sites. Spanning more than three centuries, We Built This provides more than two dozen personal profiles and historic context on key topics including slavery and Reconstruction; the founding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Black churches; Jim Crow and segregation; and the rise of Black politicians and professionals.
When: Running now through March 27th, stop by the Farm History Center at Historic Oak View County Park any time during building hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m., Sunday).
Oberlin Village Guided Walking Tour
Oberlin Village Guided Walking Tour
Where: 1023 Oberlin Rd., Wilson Temple UMC, Raleigh, NC 27605
Cost/Registration: Free, but registration is required by completing this contact form.
What/When: Walking tours of Oberlin Village, an antebellum village of freedmen, are available the third Saturday of each month at 1:30 pm October through April. (Time changes to 10 am May through September.) This 1 to 1½-hour tour includes the Oberlin cemetery, historical structures and the Latta Park Historic Park.
Triangle Friends of African American Arts
Please explore the Triangle Friends of African American Arts website for many African American theater productions in the Triangle:
Recommended Resources
The Diocese of NC’s Racial Reconciliation and Social Justice website is updated regularly with social justice resources recommended by the Diocese of NC.